Now more than ever, startups must utilize social media as a strategic weapon to rise above an increasingly competitive environment. Currently, over 4.74 billion people across the world use social media. This comes as no surprise as it offers invaluable ways of engaging target audiences and driving revenue growth for your business.

While building up followers may seem like a daunting task at first, with proper strategies in place this can become easier over time and leave an impactful statement beyond mere hype. In this blog post, we discuss six helpful tips that may help you achieve this.

Choose the Right Social Media Platforms

Different social media platforms serve different demographics, so it is key to select platforms that align with your target audience’s preferences and behaviors. For instance, targeting younger audiences may require platforms like Instagram and TikTok.  B2B startups might prefer LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

Remember that it is better to focus on excelling on one or two platforms rather than trying to provide valuable content on many. Put all your effort into expanding those two or three where your audience is most active, and provide regular, valuable updates there.

An important tip when it comes to social media is maintaining an unblemished online presence. This is particularly important when growing your startup following on these channels.

Past posts, tweets, or content that are inappropriate or controversial can harm your brand’s reputation and deter potential followers or customers. For instance, if you have old tweets that you want to get rid of, you might be wondering how to delete all tweets at once. Thankfully, there are web tools that allow you to delete them based on criteria such as age, specific keywords, or even your entire tweet history. 

Define Your Target Audience

Before creating social media content, it is crucial to identify your target audience. Who would be most likely to be interested in your products or services? Who are their demographics, interests, and pain points? By understanding your audience better, you can create content specifically tailored toward them that resonates effectively.

Create buyer personas that represent your ideal customers. Use these personas as guides for crafting content that speaks directly to the needs and preferences of your target audience.

Create High-Quality Content

Social media users expect high-quality posts, from eye-catching visuals and videos to informative blog posts or engaging Stories. High-quality posts must add value for followers. Your goal should be to produce valuable posts that provide real benefit to them as your audience. Develop a content calendar to ensure you’re posting regularly and staying relevant in your followers’ feeds.

Engage Your Audience

Broadcasting your message on social media is only one aspect of growing a following. It also involves establishing connections. So, respond quickly to comments, emails, and mentions to connect with your audience. Make sure you show appreciation for your followers by acknowledging their support and feedback.

Encourage involvement by hosting interactive events like Q&A sessions and competitions. Engaging your audience with mobile-friendly polls is an effective way to boost interactivity and grow your social media following. Create poll questions that are relevant, interesting, and resonate with your audience. Keep them concise and clear. It’s essential to make participants feel like their input matters, so avoid overly promotional or irrelevant questions. This improves your relationship with your current followers while also drawing in new ones through word of mouth and more visibility.

Utilize Hashtags Strategically

Hashtags can be powerful tools for increasing your social media reach. They help your content get discovered by users interested in specific topics or trends. Do your homework and include pertinent hashtags in your posts, but don’t go overboard. Overloading your posts with hashtags can make them look spammy and less appealing.

Consider creating a branded hashtag unique to your startup. To share their impressions of your goods or services, encourage your customers to use them. As a result, you may foster a feeling of community and user-generated content that naturally promotes your company.

Collaborate and Partner with Influencers

Influencer marketing can be an invaluable asset to startups looking to increase their social media following. Find influencers relevant to your niche with sizable audiences who are willing to promote your brand. Collaborate with them to create sponsored content or host giveaways that introduce your startup to their audience.

When selecting influencers, authenticity is key. Choose influencers who genuinely align with your brand’s values and mission, as their endorsement will carry more weight with their followers. Be transparent about any sponsored content, and ensure that the partnership benefits both parties.

Final Thoughts

Growing your social media following as a startup requires time, effort, and a strategic approach. By targeting the appropriate audiences on various platforms, creating high-quality content to engage your target market, and collaborating with influencers, you can build up an engaged following gradually over time.

Remind yourself that social media success is more than numbers alone; focus on cultivating meaningful connections and providing value to your followers, which will lead to an organic increase in presence over time. Remain consistent while adapting to changing trends to maximize its social media impact.

The post 6 Tips for Growing Your Social Media Following as a Startup appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

Marketing is crucial for any small business seeking to increase its customer base and scale its operations. As you update yourself with the current marketing trends, constantly review your digital marketing strategies and find better ways to market. Here is how you can improve marketing for your startup or small business.

Embrace Account Based Marketing

Account based marketing (ABM) is a data-driven approach and revenue strategy that enables you to target accounts that are potential customers exclusively. The marketing strategy enhances the efficiency as you pay more attention to probable future customers, dedicating your resources to them. By working with an account based marketing agency, you get to maximize your results from high-value accounts while delivering relevant and consistent customer experiences. It also lowers your marketing budget as you only direct your efforts to the right accounts for your business.

Look for Testimonials and Reviews

It’s normal for most customers to seek out reviews before making any purchase. They assure them that what they buy is of quality and better than that of competitors. You can request your customers to leave reviews on your social platforms or a dedicated review site. When you put your reviews on multiple places, potential customers can quickly view them, building their confidence to purchase products from you.

Update Your Social Media Platforms   

Simply creating a social media account isn’t enough to generate more leads. You should constantly look for social media marketing tips that boost your online presence on these platforms. Start by updating your account information to keep it as accurate as possible. As your business changes, so should your social profile. Keep your website, logo, pictures, address, and hours current, and regularly post relevant content on all your social media pages.

Learn From Top Players in the Game

Search your competitors and other top players in the industry to determine what they do differently to attract more customers. For instance, if all your competitors focus more on regular Google or Facebook ads, chances are they succeed in running the ads. You can try the tactic to see if you can bring some customers to your side. As you learn from your competitors, constantly look for ways to outperform them.

Generate an Email List 

Email marketing is a perfect way to develop long-lasting relationships with your customers. To benefit from everything email marketing offers, you need to generate a substantial email list. A better starting point would be to set up a lead magnet. These are tempting offers tailored to give consumers an item of value in exchange for their email contact information. For example, you can request consumers to sign up for an email list to get special discounts or a VIP loyalty program. And once your email list is complete, move ahead to develop an email marketing strategy.

Exceed Customer Expectations

When your customers are satisfied with your products and services, they will turn to be your leading brand advocates and market for you. Keep in mind that word-of-mouth marketing is as effective as traditional advertising and marketing forms. Look for creative ways to delight and surprise your customers. It may include offering them special gifts or sharing with them a handwritten postcard.

Your small business needs these effective strategies above to grow its client lists and increase the revenue streams. Keep reviewing and changing your marketing strategy to meet the evolving customer demands. Most importantly, stay up-to-date with what is happening in your industry and never stop learning.

The post 6 Ways to Improve Your Small Business Marketing appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

When it comes to clothing, t-shirts are considered casual wear for both men and women. They also serve as a reflection of identities, interests, and personalities. Because of this, selling t-shirts has become a popular way for those who want to start a new business. With the increasing popularity of t-shirt selling, there’s no doubt you can earn extra income each month. 

However, building a t-shirt business requires proper planning and decision-making such as whether you’d use a t-shirt design maker. Since the said business idea is in demand nowadays, you need to make sure your business startup is set for success by keeping clients and generating more income.

Keep reading this article to learn about the ultimate checklist for starting a successful t-shirt business. 

1. Find Your Niche 

One of the important things to do when building a successful t-shirt business is to pick a niche and make sure to stick with it. Given the stiff competition in the market, having a particular niche can be your only way to position your brand and stand out in the industry. 

However, finding your business’s niche means you should get specific with the t-shirts you’re selling. Before you become a t-shirt seller, see to it that your products cater to a specific demographic to target your potential customers much easier. For example, you may want your niche to be t-shirts with funny slogans related to dog owners and professionals like doctors and nurses.

Whatever niche you pick, make sure it’s something your target customers can integrate into their wardrobe and lifestyle easily. Also, see to it that the designs you’d be releasing are relevant to them.

2. Craft Your T-Shirt Designs

Now that you already have a niche in place, the next thing to do is to craft your t-shirt designs. Typically, the designs should be those that resonate with your target customers. In doing so, you need to conduct some research on their demographic, including their interests and the struggles they’re dealing with. Moreover, it can be a good idea if the designs are unique and simple. They should also be something that identifies your brand in the market.

If you have no idea how to design your tees, seeking professional help would make a lot of sense. But if you want to do things by yourself, using the available templates in a t-shirt design maker site can be an excellent option. 

3. Make Sure Your Tees Are Of High Quality

Even if you have great designs, your customers won’t still like your products if your tees fade or crack after a few washes. Because of this, you need to make sure your tees are of high quality if you’re looking to have a successful business. Although you can save more money in selling products of inferior quality, having repeat customers are more valuable as they can still translate to high profits in the long run. 

So, to ensure you’re using high-quality t-shirts, you can use the following factors to help you make an informed purchasing decision:

• Quality of the stitching

• Accuracy of the fit

• Comfortability of the fit

• Feel of the material

• Weight of the fabric

4. Set Up Your Online Store And Market

Typically, there are many reasons why you want to have a t-shirt business. Thus, if you have everything ready, then it’s time to set up your online store and market. You can do this by creating your website where your target customers can buy your products directly. Aside from that, you can also consider using an online marketplace where you can sell your t-shirts easily and quickly.

Once you build your online store, the next step is to market your t-shirt business. Marketing can be an effective way of securing your sales and making known your business to the public. Since social media is free, you can use it to reach out to potential customers and introduce your business to them. You can also try paid advertising and influencer marketing as your methods for marketing your business online. By doing this, you’d be ready to take your business to the next level by accepting orders and generating more profit each month. 

Bottom Line

Indeed, starting a t-shirt business can be a complicated undertaking, especially if you’re unprepared. Just like other types of business, it requires hard work and patience. Therefore, if you want to have a successful t-shirt business startup, keep this ultimate checklist in mind and you’re good to go. You can make your business functional by getting ready to print t-shirt and shipping them to your customers. 

The post The Ultimate Checklist For Starting A Successful T-Shirt Business appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

Fortune magazine published a study on startup failures that identified the Top 20 Reasons as stated by the founders. “No Market Need” ranked as the Top Reason for failure at 42%, followed by “Lack of Funding” at 29%, and “Poor Marketing” as the 8^th reason for failure at 17%. Take a closer look at the chart below and interestingly, 8 of the 10 reasons for failure are marketing related, with “Ran Out of Cash” and “Not the Right Team” the only non-marketing reasons for failure in the Top 10.

With this background, our “thesis” will go forth to prove that Ineffective Marketing is likely the major contributor to startup failure, and the corollary, Effective Marketing is a major contributor to startup success. First let’s “carve out” the marketing reasons for failure from the above list (8 of the top 10 reasons) and then identify the marketing disciplines that can overcome these problems:

1. 1. No Market Need
   2. Get Outcompeted
   3. Pricing/Cost Issues
   4. Poor Product
   5. Need/Lack Business Model
   6. Poor Marketing
   7. Ignore Customers
   8. Product Mis-Timed

9 Marketing Disciplines for Startup Success

Each of the above reasons for failure can be addressed by effective marketing including the 9 disciplines below, along with multiple marketing sub-disciplines.

1. 1. Market Research
   2. Marketing Strategy
   3. Product Engineering and Testing
   4. Branding
   5. Digital Marketing
   6. Content Marketing
   7. Awareness Building
   8. Ongoing Communications to multiple audiences
   9. Customer Acquisition

Let’s take a closer look at each marketing discipline, and note that chronology or the order of these 9 disciplines is important.

Market Research

No new business model, new product or service should consider “starting-up” without undertaking Market Research including Secondary Research or published information (Google searches included here); both quantitative and qualitative Primary Research including surveys, interviews and/or focus groups. Syndicated Research is often available for many categories on a subscription basis from analyst and research firms. Finally competitive analysis and when possible, competitive intelligence is an important sub-discipline of market research. Spouse and “mother-in-law” research need not apply.

Market Research can help identify market and customer needs, support marketing strategy, business model and product development and engineering, testing and optimization. For more information on market research, view our blog on (market research) Types and Tips.

Marketing Strategy

Business model development is dependent on marketing strategy. Again, Market Research can support both strategy and business modeling. Identifying customer personas and needs is a priority undertaking for Business-To-Consumer (B2C) scenarios. Demographics and Pyschographics are part of persona development.

Business-To-Business (B2B) scenarios more often require Market Segmentation by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, identifying sales or procurement processes, and identifying decision makers or decision influencers by title. This B2B “customer profiling” is typically complex with multiple decision makers, and often procurement committees. In B2B, Vertical and Micro-Vertical marketing are sub-disciplines that can help startups focus on digestible market segments where market leadership is possible.

Customer personas or profiles, market segmentation, and vertical marketing support an absolutely critical sub-discipline:  Customer Identification. Intuitively, B2C and B2B will require different processes to identify customer types, and ultimately market potential.

Last but not least, positioning strategy is critical. Understanding competitive positioning, and identifying a unique, differentiated and defendable market position is paramount to success. Perceptual Maps are useful tools to plot and visualize competitor’s positioning on such variables as features and price. Check back here soon for a How-To link.

Product Engineering and Testing

My background includes brand management, new product development and launch, and new market entry. Product (or service) engineering and testing are similar processes. These disciplines depend on and overlap with most the 9 disciplines here. How? Prototypes are created and given to “sample” customers to test usage and provide feedback. Product/Services features, brand names, packaging, and pricing are tested.

While “Poor Product” and “Ignore Customers” are reasons for startup failure, neither can happen if you are immersed with customers. Voice of the Customer (VOC) research is a common term and process. “Outcompeted” is avoided with reverse-engineering of competitor’s product and testing with real customers. Finally, product costing and pricing are important aspects of product engineering and testing.

Branding

Branding includes naming, visual identity (logos, graphic themes), and messaging. Brand naming is the foundation, and IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) the achilles heal of startups. Founders silly or arcane names might kill a startup faster than a non-differentiated product. Like other effective marketing disciplines, naming and branding should be explored and tested with real customers. Sorry, but founders and staff brand naming opinions should not be the only options here. For more advice, check out my book, Breakthrough Branding: Brand Naming Tips and Trade Secrets.

With brand naming determined, other brand elements can be explored, tested and optimized. Logos and taglines are typically developed next, followed by messaging.

One consideration in regard to messaging is mission or purpose. Depending on the product category, Cause marketing might be part of your mission or purpose. Another consideration in regard to messaging is your “Elevator Pitch” or short overview that can be used in multiple applications. Like naming and logos, do consider including professional  advice.

Digital Marketing

The “digital marketing mix” includes your website, SEO, social media, paid search, and our next discipline, content.

For both B2B and B2C scenarios, the brand website is likely the foundation of a startups marketing. The messaging and graphic theme must be stellar. User Experience (UX) simple and easy. Mobile/Responsive and secure (SSL/HTTPS) are now basic requirements. Complete on-page search engine optimization (SEO), off-page link-building, and Local Citations/Local SEO are critical.

Social media is important with different emphasis for B2B and B2C. B2B social media focuses on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and possibly Facebook. B2C social media focuses on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and possibly TikTok, and Pinterest.  

Paid Search includes pay-per-click (PPC), online/display advertising, and Remarketing/Retargeting. The use and spend on paid search will be dependent on the category and E-commerce potential.

Content Marketing

Content has emerged as the “fuel” behind effective marketing. The Content Marketing Institute conducts an annual study of content marketing with versions for both B2B and B2C scenarios.

In the 2021 study, B2B content marketers used 13 types of content, while B2C content marketers used 10 types. Following are top 5 types for each. 

The same study identified (organic and paid) content distribution channels with social media leading both B2B and B2C, and websites and email following closely. What differed was the 4th ranked content distribution channel with Virtual Events for B2B, and Media/Influencer relations for B2C.

Surely the type of content will differ with the category. Consider technology vs. fashion. Technology requires education and research information, while fashion requires photography and perhaps entertainment? Publish of perish.

Awareness Building

The AIDA model is still accurate today, meaning Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. A customer cannot buy your product/service if it is unknown. Building brand awareness is still essential to effective marketing.

How? Advertising used to be “king” of awareness building, but is likely not cost efficient for all but the largest brands. Advertising options include print, TV, radio, and a variety of online display and social media alternatives, the latter which can be cost efficient.

Publicity is free by definition, but not easy to achieve without resources and investment in publishing fees, analysts, and related. And publicity potential is likely dependent on the product or service, and category. Publicity options should be fully evaluated, and will likely require the assistance of a experienced professional. In the meantime, learn more with the Guide to Modern Publicity.

Brands of all types can achieve publicity by aligning with a cause, mission or purpose that supports a non-profit or related brand that can bring publicity. For more information, check out our Cause Marketing Guide.

Other options for awareness building include thought leadership marketing and community development. Both can be accomplished with content, programming, publicity, and more. View the Thought Leadership Marketing Guide here.

Ongoing Communications

Effective marketing requires ongoing communications to multiple audiences including customers and prospects, employees, investors, editors and analysts, channel partners, and more. Email is still a leading tactic for ongoing communications with options for newsletters, nurture and trigger campaigns, along with new email list development tools.

Your brand website should be a communications “engine” with ongoing content as the “fuel”. Landing pages, blogs, and gated content that requires a form-fill or registration all drive website traffic, with calls-to-action (CTAs) identifying qualified leads or even e-commerce sales.

Intuitively, content supports ongoing communications including blogs, videos, social media, virtual and live events, and more. Finally, ongoing communications supports our next and final marketing discipline, customer acquisition.

Customer Acquisition

The ultimate objective of most marketing and certainly most startups is customer acquisition and sales. Customer acquisition for B2B and B2C scenarios differ, as do E-commerce and brick/mortar. Customer acquisition costs (CACs) should be measured, along with sales conversion rates — important for startup budgeting and forecasting.

Corollary to customer acquisition is customer retention. With retention or loyalty programs in place, customer lifetime value (CLTV) can be projected at the time of acquisition.

Many of the aforementioned disciplines support customer acquisition, along with some new tactics listed below.

Startup Marketing or Die?

Thesis proven. The majority of startup failures are due to marketing-related reasons. Therefore, marketing and especially the 9 disciplines must be effective and well-executed. But how? Lot’s of advice. Seriously consider marketing experts with experience in your category. Do not consider marketing experts without experience in your category.

Depending on startup maturity and scale, consider outsourcing marketing vs. staffing. Startups have a tendency toward staffing when the range of marketing discipline requirements suggest outsourcing.

Recommendation:  research and identify multiple marketing agencies with proven category experience and request recommendations. If this process goes well, engage in marketing planning and budgeting.

Maximize startup success by making marketing a priority.

Resource Roundup:

Market Research: Types and Tips (MMP)

Breakthrough Branding: Brand Naming Tips (IDeas BIG)

2021 B2B Content Marketing Study (Content Marketing Institute)

2021 B2C Content Marketing Study (Content Marketing Institute)

Outsource vs. Insource Marketing (MMP)

The post Tech Startup Marketing: 9 Disciplines for Success appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

What Do I Need To Know Before Starting My Business?

New businesses are very delicate and should be treated that way, as our actions and decisions at the launch of said business can make or break. Below are a couple of insightful Do’s and Don’ts that will help when starting a new business:

Have A Detailed Plan

Starting a business can be difficult, and it poses many risks; it is very easy to spend most of your time and invest all your resources in it and still not succeed. Before you start your business, figure out and plan what type of business you intend to have properly. Do you want it to be a sole proprietorship? Have partners? Do you want a corporation? Or probably LLC? After figuring this out, you can tie together your plan. Writing a detailed plan with your projected results and personal goals is the best way to remain on track. Business plans help you move at a certain pace while removing the unnecessary pressure exerted on you by yourself. Do not try to do everything at once. It can be extremely draining, and you are less likely going to gain results. However, focusing on the key components of a business plan will put your ideas in concrete terms and help identify places to change or correct the business model where necessary.

Register Your Business

Immediately your business commences, endeavor to register it with the right body that controls and regulates it in your country or community. In the United States of America, States like Georgia have strong business laws. Similarly, there are states in China where it is necessary to have a registration number. You need a Hong Kong business registration number to be able to operate. Having your business registered has many perks, as it helps you avoid legal problems with the government in that state or region. It also secures your reputation as an individual and that of your business, making your customers know that you run a legitimate business. Furthermore, this builds trust among suppliers, customers, and employees, especially when your business is still new and still unpopular. This also gives you the right to fully market your brand and business everywhere, opening opportunities to do business transactions with large companies and corporations.

Invest In Marketing And Know Your Target Customers

Every business owner should have in mind that not every individual is going to be your customer. From your business plan, you’re supposed to know who your target customers are. Many companies are very successful because they have mastered online marketing and sales. Research the demographics of your potential customer, know what appeals to them, and understand their buying habits. Watch competitors closely and take lessons from their wins and losses. Ask for their feasibility reports if possible.  Also, talk with similar business owners. Keep tabs on your competitors’ websites to know if you are doing the right thing. Lastly, listen to what their customers have to say about them on social media and implement the corrections in your own business if you’re guilty of the same.

Ask For Customer Feedback

Endeavor to ask your customers to rate your service, ask for feedback after they patronize you, and seek their opinion on how you can serve them better. This will go a long way in boosting your business, especially if you make their constructive opinions. Everyone loves to be listened to. Furthermore, you will certainly grow your customer base when your already existing customers are impressed with your services because they will refer others to you. After all, your services are satisfactory.

Starting a business can pose unique challenges. Hopefully, with the information shared in this article, you have an insight, and things are easier for you as a new business owner. Of course, there are many more tips out there. However, with these few, you are guaranteed to experience positive outcomes in your business as soon as you start.

The post Starting A Business: Essential Advice To Help You Through appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

Is your business on track to become a hit? Maybe you have a brilliant idea but need to rally funds to bring it to life. New businesses sprout up every day — there were 800k startups in 2020 — and raising capital is crucial. But how will you garner funds? It sounds like you need to learn how to make a great business pitch.

A successful pitch illuminates the market demand and your solution in an authentic way. How will you prove the business is viable? 

Keep reading for the best strategies for creating a business pitch investors can’t resist. 

1) Write a compelling story

A story moves people more than numbers and cold hard data. So, instead of leading with digits, tell a compelling story that moves them emotionally.

First, introduce yourself and share your background. How did you get started, and what was the “ah-ha” moment when you came up with the business concept? 

Build credibility by way of industry expertise, prior startups, or leadership roles that led you here. Tell your story to lead into the business proposition. And then draw from a customer or friend to craft a realistic narrative.

In your business story, address the following talking points:

• Your background: the who, what, and why that makes you who you are.
• The market gap: explain what problem your target demographic is currently facing.
• Include data to support the need for this new business offering
• Outline the demographics that’ll benefit most from your product or service

2) Then provide your solution

You’ve led with your background, highlighted a consumer problem, and now it’s time for you to share your solution. At this point, you’re presenting your business model and the essence of its potentiality. 

Oddly, the solution is often the shortest part of your business pitch, but ultimately, the most vital. 

Tell them exactly how you plan to solve your target demographic’s problem. Suppose the problem was that local automotive businesses struggle to keep costs low amidst significant overhead. In that case, the solution could be a budget-friendly, high-quality product line designed for mechanics, car washes, and auto detailers.

Keep it short, get to the point, and most importantly, leave them wanting more. 

3) Keep your business pitch brief

You could talk about your new business all day, right? Well, save that for friends and family because investors are busy, so keep your pitch brief. The last thing you want is potential investors to get bored or lose interest as you conduct your presentation. 

And that’s why it’s essential to have a pitch deck (more on that later) because it forces you to stick to the point and move through your presentation quickly. Think of the TV series Shark Tank: all of the bright minds pitching their business concepts knew how to get to the goods quickly. 

And if they didn’t? Well, sharks (investors) aren’t known for letting you down easily.

If people are unclear about your idea from the second you start talking, you’ll have difficulty keeping their attention.

To stay on track, use Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule for presentations. Kawasaki is a venture capitalist who, after hearing hundreds of pitches from entrepreneurs, suggested a simple, new approach to capture investors’ interest:

• 10 slides total
• Less than 20 minutes
• No smaller than 30 size font

Sticking to this rule creates a direct, concise, eye-clean presentation, enabling your prospective leads to get a full scope of your business without falling asleep. Yes, it happens, but you can dodge losing them by sticking to the 10-20-30 rule.

4) Use a pitch deck

Ok, I briefly alluded to a pitch deck, so what is it? If you’re gearing up to pound the pavement en route to capital, you’ll need a pitch deck. 

A pitch deck is a visual presentation assembled with all of the essential details of your business proposition.

Creating a pitch deck for your new business is vital because it streamlines your pitching process to yield better results.

Additionally, a pitch deck shows your business’s big picture, the story behind it, and data that support its viability.

Here are some answers to pitch deck FAQs:

• How do you structure a pitch deck? Create slides for key elements of your pitch, including the story, value proposition, problem, target demographics, solution, business model, traction roadmap, marketing strategy, team members, financials, competitor analysis, and finally, investment needs and distribution of funds.
• How many slides should your pitch deck have? Depending on your talking points, you should have about ten slides to keep it short, engaging, and to the point. 
• Are there pitch deck templates? Absolutely, and it’s smart to work from a pre-designed template from SlidesGo or PiktoChart to easily craft a professional, high-quality pitch deck. 

5) Conduct competitive market research

In your mind, your startup may be the most innovative idea out there, but that doesn’t mean you’re the first head it has popped into. So, it’s time to conduct some thorough market research and analysis for your business pitch.

Here’s how:

• Acknowledge and address your competition: How do you plan to deal with competitors? Is your product better than the competition? If so, outline precisely why and how.
• Include market analysis: what statistics and data support the need for your new business? How big is your target demographic? Are they actively seeking solutions similar to yours?
• What’s your competitive edge? Say you’re starting an athletic apparel brand, well, what sets you apart from Nike, Adidas, or New Balance? 
• Address potential risks: Every new venture has risks, so address them head-on and let investors know how you plan to tackle and overcome these inevitable obstacles.
• Include data, charts, and studies. Keep it short and punchy though. Use engaging media like video guides, infographics, and interactive media to illuminate these key figures.

Your investors don’t expect you to present a 100% original idea, but they will expect you to explain why yours is unique and investment-worthy.

6) Outline Your financial needs

You’ve worked hard to generate interest, outline your business proposition, and secure funding from investors. Now it’s time to ask for investment capital. 

Anytime you’re asking for funding, you should confidently present your needs and be painfully specific. In other words, cut straight to the point.

Here’s how:

• Explain the business’s projected revenue and provide estimated dates for these projections.
• Do you have existing investors? Include the current capital you’ve garnered, which shows investors that others are already supporting your venture.
• Ask for an exact amount. Don’t ball-park it; get down to the nuts and bolts, and deliver a legitimate figure for them to grasp.
• Tell them how you plan to return their investment. How much will you pay investors back? Will it be an IPO (initial public offering), or will they get their investment back plus interest or profit? 
• Answer all of their questions: Bottom line: investors are pros at this, and they’ll know what to ask. They have more experience investing, so be prepared to answer all of their logistical questions.

7) Leave a parting gift to remember you by

Your business is your baby, but investors get pitched to all the time. Chances are, they may forget about your company a few days after your pitch. Don’t take it personally; instead, create a strategy to stay fresh in their minds. How?

Gift them a brochure!

Create a brochure that includes a summary of your pitch’s essential details. Be sure to include the talking points mentioned here so they won’t forget the essence of your new business.

If you need a starting point, work from a trifold brochure design template from PosterMyWall. You can easily design a brochure that illustrates your business model, goals, and story. The best part is, investors will have a tangible reminder of your pitch to mull over in days following your presentation. 

The post 7 Tips For Creating A Business Pitch Investors Can’t Refuse appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

The way you market your brand can be the difference between establishing a successful company and failing, so to spread awareness and ensure the right people see your products or services, here are some of the top marketing tactics to implement into your operation this year.

Create Social Media Pages

Whether you’re a fan of social media or not, all new businesses need to establish a social media presence to survive. When you factor in that billions of people across the world use the internet and social media, making social media pages for your startup is a no brainer. Using popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is the best place to start.

Update Your Content

Content marketing is all about creating and distributing valuable and relevant content related to your brand to entice and establish your audience. To keep consumers interested in your products or services, you need to regularly update your content and ensure it’s clear and cohesive for readers to follow. If you need help with content marketing, merrittgrp.com can help. You need to show your audience that you’re committed to your startup, so make sure you have a team in place who can create exciting and informative content.

Understand SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) has the power to boost your website and blog search engine ranking result. When consumers head onto google, they tend to stick to the first page of results (regardless of what they’re looking for). However, as a startup, there will be lots of competition you must contend with to get yourself noticed. Using the latest SEO strategies and using relevant keywords throughout your content that links to your brand are key for increasing exposure.

Start Guest Blogging

In the business sector, making valuable connections with those in your field can be a big help. To give your startup the best chance of success, it may be worth guest blogging for other websites. In return, the owner may post a link to your page which will boost traffic and potentially increase revenue. If you enjoy writing and are serious about spreading brand awareness, guest blogging has proven to be a valuable marketing strategy for startups.

Use Video

Thanks to technology, you can use visuals on your website and blog to entice readers to your business. Instead of writing large blocks of text that turn your audience off, creating video content such as a tutorial on a product is more informative for the user and will increase your chances of them turning into a long-term follower.

No matter what kind of startup you’re trying to get off the ground, using the right marketing strategies is essential for growth. To reduce the risk of failure, the tactics above will boost your online presence and ensure clients and customers are aware of your brand.

The post 5 Effective Marketing Strategies Startups Should Utilize in 2021 appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

Use Social Media

Whether you’re a fan or prefer to avoid it, know that social media is a powerful platform that all startups should use. With the COVID-19 outbreak transforming the way businesses operate, more and more startups are running their services online. Setting up a business page on social media can be a fantastic way to connect with consumers, keep your audience updated with the latest developments, and most importantly, increase brand awareness.

Create an Email List

Email marketing is another key method that you can use to increase brand awareness for your startup. No matter who your target demographic is, most of them will likely have an email address. Creating an email list and sending out targeted messages will keep your followers in tune with what’s going on in your business. If you want to launch a product, or give special discounts and offers to your audience, developing an email list is key.

Create an Eye-Catching Logo

Your logo is the first thing consumers will see about your brand. This means you need to have a hard think about how you want your business to be projected to others. The right logo can make all the difference and help you run a successful brand. If you sell products, designing your own packaging and using an eye-catching logo is critical for boosting brand awareness. Your logo will establish brand recognition, professionalism, and help you stand out from competitors.

Run Your Own Blog

With many business owners having to work from home due to COVID-19, you may have more time on your hands than ever before. If you aren’t sure how to get your startup off the ground, setting up your own blog can be a great way to make consumers take notice of what you have to say. Blogging can boost revenue, increase website traffic, and turn prospective customers into dedicated followers. Regardless of what your expertise is, your blog can feature tutorials, expert advice, and provide value for your readers.

Contact an Influencer

In recent years, marketers and businesses have used influencers as a way to build brand awareness. Whether it’s popular celebrities, YouTubers, or Instagrammers, many consumers are more likely to buy into your products and services if they see people they resonate with promoting them. Reaching out to influencers to market your brand can boost your follower count, increase revenue, and make people stick around. You must create a budget beforehand as some influencers will charge more for their services than others.

With half of startups failing within their first year of operation, you can avoid falling into this statistic by following the strategies above and implementing them into your business.

The post How to Increase Brand Awareness for Your Startup: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

The Call to Serve Others

One enduring line of wisdom says, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” This is commonly interpreted to mean that someone who has acquired much in terms of wealth, knowledge, wisdom and other gifts has a responsibility to use their resources to help others. The idea of philanthropy and venture capitalism aligning is not new. History provides examples of generous businesspersons who believed that their fortune and influence could be impactful in addressing certain problems in society. Philanthropic heavyweights such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, as well as entities such as the Ford Foundation, have committed resources to initiatives designed to improve higher education, scientific research and advancements in medicine.

How Philanthropy and Venture Capitalism Connect

Often we hear of magnates and industry leaders funding initiatives that are near and dear to their heart, such as Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa or Mark Stevens charity to the University of Southern California’s Stevens Center for Innovation. Historically, venture capitalism and philanthropy have connected in various ways depending largely on the objectives and the outcomes of the vehicles for investment. Here are some of the ways in which the two concepts connect and intertwine.

Venture Philanthropy

The idea of venture philanthropy has been around for several decades. It involves taking venture capitalist techniques and principles and applying them to charitable pursuits. Initially coined by John D. Rockefeller III in 1969, it described financing social causes that were considered to be unpopular. This philanthropy tends to be focused on raising capital and active engagement with recipients to foster innovation. Most investments of this type are made through a foundation or a private equity firm. The engagement period for this type of investment ranges from 3 to 7 years. One example of this is the creation of the Chicago Public Education Fund to improve the hiring and retention of exceptional educators for public schools in Chicago.

Impact Investing

Impact investments seek to provide funds to solve social and/or environmental issues. Some of the popular issues targeted by impact investing include renewable energy, healthcare, education and sustainable farming. This type of investment isn’t limited to one asset class. It can include debt and fixed income as well as private equity. It also isn’t limited to start-ups or emerging markets. Often, impact investors may accept below-market returns in service of improving a particular social issue. The term “impact investing” was coined in 2007 and it includes applying the same rigor to social and environmental performance as that of financial performance. A popular example of impact investing is when large corporations such as Apple create initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.

Socially Responsible Investing

Socially responsible investing refers to investment strategies that value social and environmental “returns” as well as financial returns. SRI supports corporate practices that encourage ideas such as human rights, consumer protection, racial and/or gender diversity and inclusion and environmentalism. Some SRI is limited to screening portfolios for stockholding in businesses perceived to negatively impact society such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Impact investing is considered to be a subset of socially responsible investing. An example of SRI is The United Nations Environment Programme’s rollout of its Principles for Responsible Investment to guide investors in implementing social, environmental and governance criteria into the investing process.

Philanthrocapitalism

Philanthrocapitalism refers to philanthropic approaches that mirror the approaches of for-profit businesses. Implementing business models into the charity operations has been around since the days of Carnegie and Rockefeller, but the phrase was officially introduced by the authors of the book, Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save The World. Examples of philanthrocapitalism include increases in charity funding by such entities as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Venture capitalism and philanthropy aren’t quite the oil and water that they might initially appear to be. Historically, we have several past and current examples of philanthropists whose efforts dovetail with or are driven by their investment strategies. The merging of investment and altruism is often driven by the notion that those who have accumulated wealth and wisdom should give back in some meaningful way. Venture philanthropy, impact investing, socially responsible investing and philanthrocapitalism are all concepts birthed at the intersection of generosity and altruistic investments.

The post Philanthropy and Venture Capitalism, the Not So Strange Bedfellows appeared first on Modern Marketing Partners.

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1. Qualified Candidates

With so many people in the world and the endless connection possibilities of the internet, you’d think there would be qualified candidates lined up to work at new startup. Unfortunately, however, that’s not the case. Qualified candidates can be incredibly challenging to find, and even when you find someone with the right qualifications, you still might not like their work history, values, or other attributes.

Using sites like Indeed that have a good track record for pairing qualified candidates with new startups and established businesses can ensure you’re only interviewing those that possess the qualifications you need. Don’t waste time sifting through endless applications when the internet offers so many great tools to narrow down your choices.

2. HR and Payroll

Handling the HR department and all of its facets during your startup’s beginning steps can add extra stress and anxiety to the entire startup process. You’ve got enough on your plate; ironing out your brand’s image and values, hiring candidates, setting up shop, and figuring out who your customers are. The last thing you want to do is have to set up an HR department.

To avoid this extra stress, some businesses choose PEO services to handle the HR department. When you choose one of the best PEO companies for your business, all of your HR needs are taken care of, so you can focus on growing your business. Reducing the number of tasks you need to attend to at the beginning can help you get established quicker and make the entire process more streamlined.

3. Increasing Competition

Competition has only increased as the web connects people on a greater scale than ever before. New businesses face many challenges in their industries, with well-established counterparts already commanding a large number of customers and sporting a reputation for excellence. Some business owners get overwhelmed by this challenge, but instead of viewing it as a bad thing, see it as an opportunity for growth. Studying the competition can offer incredible insight into the market and your future customers.

4. Poor Marketing Efforts

Marketing is the heartbeat of your business; it drives new customers to your store or website, increases the visibility of your brand, and helps establish your business as a reputable part of the industry you’re operating in. Many startups struggle with marketing simply because they don’t have anyone on the payroll who knows what they’re doing. A marketing or SEO expert is practically an essential component of a new business because without good marketing, no one will know about your great products or services.

If you’re struggling with marketing, hiring a third-party firm or SEO expert can give your new business the boost it needs to reach your audience and keep them coming back for more.

5. Funding

There never seems to be enough funding for our ideas, does there? Idea after idea come to us on a daily or weekly basis; some of which we act on, and still others we put on the back burner of the mind for a time when we have more money, more time, or a clearer vision. Many startups face the problem of lacking funding, and some even settle with sub-par products or services due to restrictive budgets.

Funding is never in ample supply, but there are options for startups and established businesses alike. Angel investors, bank loans, and the ever-popular crowd-funding option are just a few options for new startups. Just be sure you’re well aware of the terms of your funding before you borrow or accept investment money.

6. Poor Management

A common mistake among new business owners is thinking they can manage the entire business themselves. Trusting someone else with your personal vision is, of course, difficult to say the least. Your vision is dear to you, your business’s success is directly linked to your personal success. The fact is, not everyone is a good manager. Some people simply can’t manage a business, even if they’re great at ideas or finances or marketing. If you’re struggling with the management of your business, there’s no shame in hiring someone to help you run it, or partnering with someone you know well that can offer the right skills to the management process.

7. Communication

A new startup can mean an entirely new team operating under one corporate roof; making communication a challenge in even the best of circumstances. Acclimating to new people isn’t easy for everyone, but establishing solid lines of communication among your team members is vital to the continued success of the business. Set up a team management platform with an online chat room so that everyone in the business can easily contact each other, share files, and assign tasks from the same interface.

Startup Marketing Services from Modern Marketing Partners

Great marketing helps you grow, reinforces your business model, and positions you for the next step. Ineffective marketing is the most common cause of startup failure. It’s your choice—be a success or be a statistic? Guarantee success with our startup marketing services or contact us today!

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